Chapter 162: Ren Huan Battlefield

As Ming Yue let them in, Hei Yue looked at them for a moment before rubbing Ming Yue's leg.

"Oh, how cute!" Anqing noticed the little fox and kneeled down.

She seemed hesitant before holding out her hand to pet him.

Remembering her from earlier, Hei Yue walked forward, allowing her hand to pet his head. Xukun stood behind, not knowing where to look or what to say. He seemed like a shy child hiding behind his mother.

"Isn't this the fox that wanders between the Soul and Medicine Hall?" she recognized Hei Yue, exclaiming with surprise.

"I...guess so", Ming Yue replied, not thinking that her own pets had a reputation.

She led them into her room and had them sit on her bed as she sat on her desk chair. Hei Yue seemed to have loosened up around Anqing but he sat beside Ming Yue in the end. Xiao Yin had been watching the whole time, perched on Ming Yue's sword that leaned against the window. The Star Owl's eyes followed the two closely, observing them.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Ming Yue asked the pair.

Anqing was about to speak before Xukun spoke first.

"I want your help."

Speaking bluntly, his tone seemed more demanding then respectful.

"With what exactly?" asked Ming Yue.

This time Anqing spoke, placing her hand on Xukun's mouth before he could even open it.

"There's an annual event coming in a month, the Ren Huan Battlefield. We wanted to know if you would like to join our group."

"Ren Huan Battlefield? What is that?"

Anqing explained, finding Ming Yue's clueless face strange.

"You don't know? It is a special domain found several hundred kilometers from here, where all members of the Heaven's Gate Institutions can enter. Originally the land of the Ren Huan Empire from several millennia ago, it was soon became a land of death after a devastating battle had wiped out the empire. Now, it has become a place for those to find treasures and opportunities. Most if not everyone join in groups as this battlefield is filled with danger, like beasts and even other wandering cultivators. That is why we wanted you to join us. With you, we would not have to worry as much. So, are you willing to accept us?"

"I'll join you", Ming Yue agreed without wasting a breath.

This was an opportunity for her to broaden her horizons. This was also her reason to leave the Institution and find something interesting.

She might be a diligent person but she was bored to say the least. Anyone would feel the same if they had the same routine for days on end.

Both Anqing and Xukun were rather surprised by Ming Yue's quick response.

"Are you sure?" Anqing asked.

"Yes, but I do need to know more about this Ren Huan Battlefield", Ming Yue replied with a polite smile.

As they talked and discussed about the battlefield. They found out that Ming Yue was a special member who had just recently joined Heaven's Gate. This explained her lack of knowledge.

Thankfully for Ming Yue, Anqing began to explain the many affairs of Heaven's Gate to her: celebrations, competitions, training events, and more. There was something happening almost every day, but Ming Yue had no knowledge of these things. She hasn't even touched any missions yet.

Hearing this from her directly was incredibly surprising to the two.

For her have solely focused on training alone was a rare thing. Most of the time, this was a trait found in those who could not pass their bottleneck and could only cultivate bitterly. But that did not matter anymore, the Ren Huan Battlefield would be her first as a member of Heaven's Gate.

The month passed by quickly and Ming Yue spent much of it strengthening her foundations: practicing her movements and strengthening her cultivation. Throughout that time, she acquainted herself with the two and began to learn about the daily happenings of the Institute.

She began making more bandages and used higher quality herbs since she had the points to spend.

Her bandages were not as strong as a pill of the same rank. However, the best she could make was a paste equivalent to a rank 3 pill. That was strong enough to help a low leveled Earth Realm Cultivator.

She put her thoughts aside and exited her workroom.

The atmosphere as she walked down to the first floor was filled with excitement. Crowds of people gathered waiting for to enter Ren Huan Battlefield.

With a few minutes of looking, Ming Yue spotted the pair in the midst of people and joined them. Along came Hei Yue and Xiao Yin following after her. While they may have attracted some looks, they were nothing too amazing. There were many others who had brought along some pets, much rarer and eye-catching than those two. Not to mention, there was the Beast Hall, where many rare and amazing beasts were cared for.

She looked around as she moved through the crowds, observing and comparing herself to the others. The strongest she had seen was a cultivator at the Soul Stage while the weakest was at the peak of the Human Realm.

Ming Yue estimated herself to be slightly weaker than the average, though she didn't feel discouraged. After all, many of them had trained from a young age and had access to all sorts of treasures. It was only a matter of time before she would catch up.

Anqing was the first to see her and quickly waved her little hand.

"Ah it's good to see you!"

Xukun stood behind her before greeting Ming Yue. Rather than his usual tone, he gave a quick little bow and looked away. He seemed quite anxious, shaking ever so slightly. She looked at him with a bit of concern.

Seeing this, Anqing explained his nervousness.

"This is his second time doing this and... it will be my first. Although, I've been here longer than you, it isn't by much. But with you here, we shouldn't have to worry too much! Ah, we will be going for the Ninth Flower Garden," speaking optimistically, Anqing gripped her weapon tightly.

It was an exquisite weapon. A short spear whose head was as long as its handle. Straight and sharp, the blade was etched with the character "Wen", her family name, etched at the base. The handle was a little over a foot long and wrapped in dark brown leather. Smooth and glossy, the leather was sown around the handle leaving a clean finish.

"I see."

Ming Yue wasn't too bothered by this piece of news. At the very least, they were trustworthy. As their conversation continued, everyone paused and looked forward, finding six elders in front of them.

Of the six, Ming Yue recognized Elder Hua, Elder Xiang, and Elder Zhou. They had also spotted her but said nothing, scanning the hundreds of students before them.

"There are almost a thousand of you here for the Ren Huan Battlefield! Wait for your assignments by the elders!" one of the Elders announced, "Elite disciples and Inheritors will come with me, we will be entering the core zone!"

He was olive skinned and exuded a ferocious aura. His face resembled such with a bushy beard and fierce eyebrows. Sporting gray and maroon robes, he carried a pair of axes on his back.

At the end of his words, he held a small object in his hand which glowed. He tossed it out as it continued to shine and transform into a large battleship. Not quite as large as the ship Ming Yue was in but it was filled to the brim with an assortment of weapons.

He looked back at the onlookers and gestured for the called disciples to follow him.

Of the thousand, only a hundred or so followed him. Most were Elite while only ten to twenty were inheritors. Ming Yue looked at them, checking their cultivation and remembering their faces. With Anqing's explanation, Elite disciples were higher ranked from the normal ones and could only be gained through achievements and contributions to Heaven's Gate. As for Inheritors, they were the personal disciples of Elders and were much more stronger than the elites. They spend much of their time in closed-door cultivation or traveling the world for experience.

Among those that she saw, Ming Yue recognized one of them. The girl from Elder Xiang's Hall, wearing black and emerald robes. Could she have been an inheritor?

That group left swiftly and everyone else began to be sorted with the elders. Rather than by rank, everyone was sorted based on their goal. The Ren Huan Battlefield had five major points and a core zone which was where the elites and inheritors went too.

As Ming Yue's group wanted to go to the Ninth Flower Garden, they were assigned to Elder Xiang to her surprise. Since it was a medicinal garden, she would think that Elder Hua as she was the medicinal elder.

Around three hundred followed Elder Xiang as he had also summoned a ship to carry them.

He looked behind him with a bored stare before yawning.

"I hope you are all prepared."